I love you, David Gordon
by Mandy Kay Miller
Summary: Gordo has a secret admirer, but there's something wrong with her and he's fallen too hard to notice.
1. First Note

A/N: yes, I know, I have about a billion stories started and not finished, but I got a plot idea and what can I say? When I get an idea, I write it. Right away. I don't wait till I finish my current story to start another one, hence the 30 million unfinished stories in my clotheslet. But oh, well. Have fun, and I promise to finish this one! =)

LIZZIE

Miranda shook her head. "I totally flunked the history quiz today. There's no possible way I even got a _C_."

"You did fine," I assured her as we walked down the hallway to Gordo's locker with him. "Really. I'm just worried about _my_ grade."

"Do you guys ever notice that whenever you assume you got an F you usually get a B?" Gordo asked as he turned the combination lock.

"That's only for you," Miranda replied.

"No, I never assume I got an F."

"That's because you've never gotten one," I put in.

"And hopefully never will. What's your point?"

The locker popped open and a folded piece of lined paper that had been leaning against the stable door floated gently to the ground.

"What's that?" Miranda asked.

Gordo bent down to pick it up. "Probably my notes from…" His voice trailed off as he read it.

"What is it?" I asked, leaning over his shoulder. It said:

Dear David,

I've had my eye on you for a long time. I've had a crush on you for a while, but recently it's getting progressively worse. I can't sleep at night. You're all that I think about. I don't think I'll ever be able to get over you, yet I can't seem to bring myself to tell you. Every time I even see your picture I melt. My head hurts and I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about you. I think I'm in love with you.

Yours truly,

Your secret admirer

"Omigosh!" Miranda said. "You have a secret admirer! That's so cute!"

Gordo shoved the paper back into his locker. "My life would be so much simpler if my friends didn't read over my shoulder," he mumbled.

"Gordo!" I said. "You have to find her!"

"Why?"

"So you can ask her out!"

He shook his head and pulled his backpack out of his locker. He started putting his books into it. "No thanks. I think I'll just leave her be."

"But why?"

He sighed. "I don't want a girlfriend. I don't want to join the thousands of mindless teenagers who only think about whether or not their breath is minty-freash for their next kiss. No thanks. I'd rather hang out with friends."

"C'mon!" Miranda begged. "It'll be fun."

I let out a small, short squeal. I couldn't help it. I was so excited! It was almost as if _I_ had a secret admirer. This was so cute. "I can't believe there's a girl that has a crush on Gordo!"

He turned to me, his face a strange mix of surprise, annoyance, and amusement. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing!" I said quickly. "It's just _way_ cute."

"Yeah, sure." He slung his backpack over his shoulder and shut the locker.

"We have to get her name, at least," Miranda said. "And then we can find her school picture."

"Here we go…" Gordo mumbled.

"She needs to be pretty," I said instantly. "If she isn't, we can give her a makeover before the big date."

"Date?" Gordo demanded. Miranda and I ignored him.

"Eek! That'll be so much fun… just us girls! And maybe we can go to the mall and get her a cool outfit, too. And shoes!"

"And a pretty necklace and bracelet… and even-"

Gordo held up his hand to silence me. "Just kill me now. Please."


	2. My Love for You

A/N: I got the poem from the book "Crystal" by Walter Dean Myers (pg. 70). I don't own the book, nor the poem. And I don't own Lizzie McGuire, in case you didn't already guess. =)

GORDO

The next morning I was surprised to find another note already. So soon? I'd just gotten one at the end of yesterday. I hoped this girl wasn't going to leave me notes every period. That would get really old really fast.

I took out the note, glad that Lizzie and Miranda weren't around to see it, and threw it by the other one. I didn't bother reading it at first while I took my books out, but soon my curiosity got the best of me. I pulled it out and read:

Dear David,

I hope you slept well. I'm afraid I didn't, but I still had a refreshing night thinking about you just the same. I stayed up late thinking about my feelings, hoping about yours, and I eventually decided to write a poem for you. I hope you like it:

My Love for You Is Like a Fire Hydrant

My love for you is like a fire hydrant,

Gushing out to save you from the fire of time.

It is steady, despite the dogs of war. 

And will last, now and forevermore.

Yours truly,

Your secret admirer

"Oh, brother," I muttered as I rolled it into a ball and threw it in my locker. "That was worse than I'd imagined."

"Hey, Gordo!"

I inwardly sighed. I knew by the voice that Miranda was right beside me, even without looking. _If I'm lucky,_ I thought, _she didn't see the note._

"Did you get another letter?"

Obviously I have very bad luck.

"Nope."

"Then what's this?"

Miranda shoved her hand into the back of my locker and grabbed the crumpled up piece of paper. "That's so sweet!" she said after reading it. "She wrote you a poem!"

"She obviously doesn't know anything about poetry," I said. "The stanzas are almost equal length and the last two verses rhyme. The best poetry usually doesn't do that. It's free verse."

"You just don't want to admit that it's cute," she said smiling. "I have to tell Lizzie!"

"No! Miranda, wait!" I called. Too late. She'd already run off.

I groaned, slammed my locker, and took off after her. All I wanted to do was forget about this girl, ignore her, and get on with life. But with Miranda and Lizzie holding the note hostage, chances were the entire school would know I had an "admirer" by lunch.

I ran after her and caught up at Lizzie's locker. Lizzie was reading the note when I snatched it away.

"Hey! I was looking at that!"

"It's pretty dry reading and doesn't have much of a plot," I answered. "I don't think you want to read this."

"Miranda said it had a cute poem."

"It doesn't have a cute poem," I replied, looking at Miranda. "Guys, c'mon. I don't want this thing advertised. Can we just forget about it?"

"Forget about it?" Lizzie demanded. "Oh, nononono! This is exciting! This is great! Honestly, Gordo, how many girlfriends have you had?"

"None, and I don't intend to start now."

"You're no fun!" she wined.

"That's right. I don't shop, do sports, or obsess about my hair. Or have a girlfriend. No fun for me. Actually, I'm on a fun diet."

"Get real. What if she's pretty?" Miranda tried. "We're talking supermodel pretty. What if it's Tyra Banks's cousin?"

"Who?"

"Never mind."

"Think about it," Lizzie begged. "Please? You'd have fun with a girlfriend. She'd be just like me and Miranda, only…"

"Only we'd swap spit every now and then?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, brother. That's what I was afraid of."

"Just think about it for awhile," she repeated. "You could use a girlfriend. And if nothing else, you'd make _her_ really happy, not necessarily at your expense, either. And you could go to dances with her, and parties. And you wouldn't have to kiss if you don't want to, and if you're nervous I could always give you some advice…"

This was stupid. I had no reason to get a girlfriend. I'd been just fine with my normal life. Just fine. I didn't need another girl messing it up. "Fine, I'll think about it," I said for one reason: make Lizzie be quiet.

"Thanks, Gordo!" She smiled. "I have to get to class." She quickly grabbed the note out of my hand before I could stop her and rushed off.

"Hey!" I sighed and looked at Miranda. "Great."

~*~

Maybe Lizzie was right. Having a girlfriend was no big deal. I'd hang out with her just like I do with my friends, only… only it'd be a little different. But still not a big deal.

Why didn't I want one in the first place? _Well,_ I thought. _First of all, not this girl. If I'm getting a girlfriend, it isn't going to be my "secret admirer." Second…_ I paused. Did I have another reason? Gordo the Boyfriend. It didn't sound right. I couldn't see myself kissing someone, or even putting my arm around her. Watching a late-night movie on the couch at my house…

The idea made me shiver.

But then, what did I have to lose? Time maybe, but I had plenty of that. Money from taking her on dates. But maybe we wouldn't even go _out._ I knew some couples who just said they were "going out" but they never actually went on a _date._ I could do that. Start small and work my way up. And my secret admirer would be a good start, since she was head over heels for me.

Which led me to another question… why me? I wasn't popular, not very good-looking either. Not athletic, not some big-and-strong protector-type. What did this girl see in me?

I didn't think I'd like her, though. She wrote poetry, for crying out loud. I had nothing against poetry if it's well-written, but this? Ethan Craft himself could have done a better job writing a poem. And she was a romantic, that much was obvious from all of her "I've always loved you" and "I laid awake thinking about you" stuff. Yeah, she was a romantic, no doubt. Not my type at all.

"Mr. Gordon?"

I snapped back to class. "Um… yeah?"

"How did Mussolini differ from Hitler?" the teacher asked me, her tone showing her annoyance.

I don't think she expected to get an answer out of me, but I knew this. "Mussolini was a leader of the Italians, first of all. Hitler was German. Hitler committed suicide and Mussolini was shot in enemy territory by a shooting squad due to his stubbornness. He was too arrogant to turn around and admit defeat, so he trudged on into war when he didn't stand a chance."

Ms. Andrews blinked. "What about their rulings?"

"Well, Hitler persecuted the Jews, and…"

"And Mussolini?"

I called on every ounce of knowledge I had to answer the question. Did Mussolini persecute anyone in the first place? _Of course he did. He was the Italian version of Hitler, and Hitler persecuted people._ "I don't know," I admitted.

"I know that maybe you didn't get much sleep last night, but you're wasting our tax dollars by making me stop for you."

"Sorry," I said. I was embarrassed. When was the last time I'd been caught not paying attention in class? I couldn't remember it, that's how long ago it had been.

I tried to pay sharp attention from then on, but not more than 15 minutes later I found myself wondering if my secret admirer was in this class. Was she watching me? Where was she?

I casually turned my head a little, trying to see behind me. It was subtle enough that Ms. Andrews didn't seem to notice, which was very good. The last thing I wanted was to be caught again.

I saw a brunette in the corner. She looked pretty enough, I decided. She was accurately described as "kinda cute." She had hair that barely passed her shoulders and a metallic blue eyeshadow and lip-glossy lips.

She might have been half black… either that or incredibly tan. She wasn't thin, but not pleasantly plump, either. Normal. I did a quick clothes-check before turning back around. A jean jacket over a red T-shirt. Jean pants. She wasn't a gothic freak, at least.

Just as my head turned back, I caught her look at me. Maybe she _was_ my admirer! I kept watching her out of the corner of my eye and she kept looking straight at me. She didn't know I was watching her. Or, I don't think so.

_The chances that she's the first girl you pick are one in a million,_ I thought. The chances she was even in this class were slim. I decided that my admirer probably wasn't her.

I tried to look at some other girls. I saw a pretty redhead that glanced at me a few times. And another brunette. And a few blonds. And one black girl.

By the time I got out of there I was stark-raving mad. I had to know who it was. Had to! Once I got into the halls I studied each girl I passed wondering if I was studying someone who'd liked me for a long time. Someone who writes dumb poetry.

I hurried to my locker, switched books, and went straight to Lizzie's locker. I had to talk to her. I don't know why… I just felt like I had to tell her what I did in history.

"Lizzie," I said when I got to her locker.

"Oh, hey, Gordo," she said. She pulled out a note from her pocket. "Here you go. I read it. Way cute, I don't care what you say, I think you should give this girl a chance."

"I've been looking for her," I said as I took the note. "I found this one girl who seemed to look at me a lot during history, and I found a few other possibilities."

"You did this during history?"

"Yeah."

Lizzie smiled. "Gordo, I'm sorry, but don't you think that the chances she's in that class at the same time as you and not in one of the other 100 classes are a little small?"

"Yeah, but it could be. But I want you to help me, OK?"

"Help you what?"

"Find her."

Lizzie squealed. I hate it when she does that. "Really?! Oh, thank you so much! It'll be fun. And then Miranda and I can talk to her and-"

"No! No one's talking to anyone, OK? The only way you're gonna help me is if you do this my way."

Lizzie's excitement seemed to subdue a little. "OK. What's your way?"

"Well, first we find out who she is. Then we do a little watching ourselves. I want to know her better than just from a bunch of letters. Then, if I like her, I _might_ ask her out. OK?"

"Really? That's so cute…"

"Yeah, yeah. But I don't want her to know we're trying to do this, OK? I don't want her to know that I know, _if_ I know, who she is."

"What?"

I shook my head. "If you find out who she is, don't tell her you know. Just tell me. Don't talk to her, don't do _anything._ OK?"

"Thanks, Gordo!" Lizzie threw her arms around me and I hugged her back. I don't know why it meant so much to her, but… girls. What can I say?

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go. We'll be late for class."


	3. Adorable

GORDO

4 days later the notes were still coming. I usually got 3 or 4 a day, but every now and then I'd get 5. It was really starting to bug me. I wished the girl would leave me alone. What was her point in leaving me messages? What was she trying to do?

Finally I decided to write _her_ a note. It had to be perfect, though. I couldn't say anything I was going to regret. I went over a few different drafts during algebra. The first one said:

Call me Gordo. Please. If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious what you see in me. I never pictured myself much of a ladies' man. I'm also curious… do you have a name?

But my letter to her didn't feel right. I played with the words and switched them around, then added and took away stuff and couldn't make it any better. "Call me Gordo." Was that too demanding? Or should I say "You can call me Gordo" or something like that?

After awhile, I decided on my final copy:

If you want you can call me Gordo, that's what my friends call me. If you don't mind me asking, I was wondering what you see in me. I never pictured myself much of a ladies' man. And just one more thing: do you have a name?

The letter still didn't seem right but I couldn't bring myself to change it. I had no idea what to say to this girl. Whatever I did, I wanted her to still think of me the same way after she read this letter. I didn't want her to read it and say "Oh, he's really a jerk. From where I was sitting it looked like he was nice."

Not like that was likely. She'd said she'd watched me. She knew what I was like.

Watched me? Was she spying on me? Sneaking around my back? Maybe she was there when I told Lizzie to help me find her! Maybe she laughed at me. Maybe this was all a trick. Maybe…

__

Get a grip, Gordo, I scolded myself. _She's just a girl. That's it. A g-i-r-l. You see them every day. You talk to two of them regularly. That's all this person is. Just a girl._

The bell rang and I got out of my seat and rushed to the door. I wanted to stick the note in my locker before she got there so that I would get a response next period. Luckily when I got there no note fell out, showing that she hadn't been there yet.

I took the note I'd written and taped it to the locker door as Miranda and Lizzie walked up. "What's that?" Miranda asked.

"A note for… well, her," I answered. "It's short, sweet, and to the point."

"Can we read it?" Lizzie asked.

"You aren't missing much," I replied, exchanging my algebra book for my science one. "All I said was that she could call me Gordo instead of David-" –I made a face, I hate the name David- "-and asked her for her name. And asked her what she sees in me."

"Aw… that's _so cute_," Lizzie said.

"What is? You guys have been using the words "so cute" a lot recently."

"Because it is," Miranda said. "Our friend Gordo's in love."

I made a face. "In love? I am not. I'm exploring my options as a single teenage guy, beginning with a girl that has a crush on me. But in love? No way."

"Well, _she's_ in love with _you_, at least," Lizzie said. "I guess you'll just have to break her heart."

"She's not in love with anyone," I replied. "Look, maybe she _thinks_ she's in love with me, but the chances that you're going to find that special someone at this age are about as much as Tudgeman's modeling career. Not good."

Lizzie shook her head. "Fine, then, have it your way. But I still think it's sweet."

"That makes two of us," Miranda put in.

"Now let me see the one you wrote." Lizzie reached in my locker and grabbed the note. I didn't object… I knew she'd get it sooner or later. Every time I got a note from my admirer, I tried to hide it from them. And every time I tried to hide it, they got it and read it anyway. Recently I'd given up trying to resist Miranda and Lizzie's note-reading powers.

"This note is totally unacceptable," she said at last. "She writes notes in proper letter form, and you just scribbled some words on paper. You didn't even sign it. And where's your address?"

"When you're passing notes in school, you don't need an address. Or an envelope. That's the beauty of it."

"Nonono. You didn't address _her._ She always says "Dear David." You need to do the same."

"What am I gonna say? "Dear secret admirer"? "Dear blank"?"

" "Dear secret admirer" would work just fine," Miranda said. "Go for it." She handed me a pen and Lizzie gave me back the note. I sighed and wrote "Dear secret admirer" at the top and signed my name at the bottom.

"Happy?"

"Yes."

~*~

Dear David,

I hope you don't mind, but I prefer to call people by their given name. I know well that your friends call you Gordo, but if you don't mind I'll like to refer to you as "David."

What do I see in you? I'm sorry, but this is a funny question. You're the most adorable guy I've ever seen, from your dark curly hair to your deep eyes… and I admire your personality, how you don't care what others think of you and are always your own person. I respect you for that. In a world full of fake people, you keep it real.

My locker number is 246. Feel free to leave me another note if you want to.

Love,

Kelsey

"Yes!" I clenched my fist as I tried not to shout. I knew her name and her locker. That'd be enough to find out her last name, which meant I could find a picture. This was good.

Her comment about me being "the most adorable guy" she's ever seen bothered me. A lot. From the minute I read it I thought, _Adorable? Is she sure?_

First off, I never thought I was good-looking. Maybe not necessarily _ugly,_ but just… normal. But no, she said I was more than that. The most adorable, to be exact. She liked the way I looked, and that alone was amazing to me.

But that wasn't what bothered me. The thing that really gnawed at me was her word choice. If she would have used cute or hot I would have gladly taken the compliment, but adorable? That made me sound like a Teddy Bear. I didn't want to be a Teddy Bear or a little kid's toy made to look "adorable." If anything, I wanted a girl to think I was cute, not "adorable."

Before I knew it I was at Miranda's locker talking to her. "She wrote back," I said excitedly. "Her name's Kelsey."

Miranda smiled and took the note from me to read it. "Aw… she thinks you're cute! That's so sweet!"

"No she doesn't. She thinks I'm "adorable.""

Miranda looked at me. "Same thing."

"No it isn't. Cute would be someone who's good-looking. Adorable is a five-year-old."

"You think she thinks you're a five-year-old?"

"That's how she referred to me."

Miranda shook her head. "Trust me, this is a good thing. 246 is her locker? No problem. Lizzie and I can hang out around there and see if we can find her."

"OK, thanks. But don't talk to her, all right? If we find out who she is, I don't want her to know."

"Why not?"

"Because. I need some time to think about asking her out."

"Why don't you think about it now?"

The question seemed to trap me in a sense. I felt cornered, even though Miranda hadn't purposely tried to. I wanted to see how she looked first. Was that shallow of me? For some odd reason, I couldn't make up my mind until I saw her.

"Because, I…" I paused. "I want to see her first."

"Oh. OK." Miranda turned back to her locker. I think she expected me to go to class, but I felt like I should stay for a little while longer.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked. "Am I being superficial?"

She smiled and turned to face me. "You aren't being superficial, Gordo. You're being a guy. It makes perfect sense to me that you would want to see Kelsey before you ask or don't ask her. Especially since this is _you_ we're talking about. You've never had a girlfriend and this can buy you some time to work up your nerve."

Her last remark caught me a little off-guard. "W-what? You think I'm scared?"

She shrugged. "I would be."


	4. Kelsey Raymond

A/N: megan - I must have missed that episode. Gordo with a friend of Kate??? Eew… =) biblehermione & SodasGurl - thank you both for reviewing both of my fics! You'll be happy to know I'm posting yet ANOTHER Lizzie McGuire fic soon. God bless!

LIZZIE

"Kelsey Raymond," I told Miranda, leaning against a row of lockers that were near 246. "She's pretty enough, I guess. A little quiet, but we can fix that."

"How do you know her?" Miranda asked.

"She's in my art class. I actually had to work with her on a project."

"Is she nice?"

"Very nice. Almost too nice. Like a goody-good, ya know? But that's OK. We have plenty of time to talk to her and do things with her to break her out of her shell."

"She's an introvert? I don't think Gordo would like that."

I shook my head. "She's not that bad. And let's face it: Gordo's best friends are two girls. He spends his spare time bouncing a small ball filled with sand on his leg. He's kind of an introvert himself."

"Hmm… I've never thought of him that way."

My head perked up when I saw her. Kelsey had brown hair with blond highlights. They looked very pretty together. She was wearing navy-blue capris and a cute yellow American Eagle tank-top.

"There she is," I told Miranda. "That's her."

Miranda looked over to where my attention was. "She's cute," she said. "And nice-looking."

"I can't really picture her and Gordo together, can you?"

Miranda made a face. "No, not really. We should go over and talk to her."

"Gordo told me not to."

She turned to look at me. "He told me not to let her know that we know who she is. He'd never forbidden me to talk with her."

"I don't know…"

"Come on, Lizzie." She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to Kelsey.

"Hi," Miranda said. Kelsey didn't pay us any attention at first, but then she turned her head.

"What? Are you talking to me?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah. You're Kelsey, right?"

"Yes, and you are…"  
"Miranda."

Kelsey's face lit up a little. "Oh, right! You're Gordo's friend."

I wanted to melt into the floor. Great. Now that Gordo had been brought up, we were done for.

"Hi, Lizzie."

I smiled weakly. "Hey, Kels."

"So how's Gordo doing?" she asked us.

Perfect. Now we were in big trouble. If we said anything, he'd kill us. He didn't even want us to read the notes in the first place, much less get right into the middle of things. Miranda and I were making a terrible mess of things, and only in about 10 seconds.

"Good," I said. "He's doing good."

"That's great. Did he make up his mind yet?"

I froze. Was she talking about a date? How did she know he was going to ask her?

"About what?" Miranda asked. I could tell she was as uneasy as I was.

"Asking me on a date. I know he was thinking about it, and when I realized that you guys hang out with him, I thought you came to tell me. I guess not."

"We just came to say hi," I replied.

"Oh. Well, if you wouldn't mind being messengers, would you mind asking him if he wants to meet me at the Digital Bean tonight at 5:30? He doesn't have to let me know before or anything, just show up. If he wants."

I looked at Miranda. This was way not good. We were going to have to tell him first of all that we initiated conversation (violation of rule #1), implied that he knew who she was (violation of rule #2), and got _her_ to ask _him_ on a date (violation of rule #3). We had to ask him out for Kelsey, who we weren't even supposed to talk to in the first place!

"Sure," I said. "We can do that."

"OK, great. Thanks." Kelsey smiled, shut her locker, and left.

Miranda turned to me. "We are so dead."


	5. First Date

GORDO

"Hey, Gordo!" Lizzie said cheerfully as I was walking out of the school. I turned and saw her and Miranda rushing to catch up to me.

"Hey, guys," I said. "Did you find out who Kelsey is?"

They stopped in front of me and exchanged glances. "Yeah," Lizzie said hesitantly. "Kelsey Raymond. I already know her."

I knew something was wrong from her tone and the look on both of their faces. "What? Is she strange?"

"No!" Lizzie said. "Not at all! But, um…"

"OK! Tell me already!"

"She wants you to meet her at the Digital Bean at 5:30," Miranda said.

I looked at them, disappointed. I told both of them strictly not to talk to her. I told them to observe. I told them I didn't want her to know I knew who she was. "You _talked_ to her?" I demanded.

"Well," Lizzie said. "See, Gordo, it wasn't like that. We just… we passed her and said hi, and then she asked about you almost right away."

"You shouldn't have said hi in the first place," I replied. "Now she knows!"

"But she's really nice," Miranda said quickly. "And normal, and even a little pretty. You'll like her."

"I will?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely."

I sighed. Maybe I should just go out with her. If it didn't work, we could always break up. It wasn't like I had to tattoo her name on my arm or anything. "OK. But from now on you guys are going to stay out of my love life. Deal?"

"We promise, Gordo," Lizzie said. "Never again. Sorry."

I smiled. "That's OK. I guess it's the push I needed. Otherwise I would probably put off asking her out until the end of the school year."

~*~

I walked into the Digital Bean at 5:15. I wondered if I should ask her to a movie or something after we ate. In case I decided to, I brought along $25. I didn't know if I was supposed to pay for her or not, so I made sure to bring extra cash. Normally I would have to pay, but did this really classify as a "date?" After all, _she_ asked _me_, not even directly, mind you_._ And we had never met before, so this was more of a hanging out thing than a date, right? Or was this what a blind date felt like?

I sat down at a small table and wiped my sweaty hands on my pants. Why was I nervous? This was no big deal. All I had to do was smile, have a smoothie, and talk to her. This wasn't serious. It's not like we were getting married or anything.

"You want something to eat?" a waitress asked me walking up to my table.

"Uh… I'll have a strawberry-banana smoothie, thanks."

She nodded and left.

I looked around the place, searching for a girl sitting alone. That might be her. But I didn't see anyone sitting alone. Everyone was with someone else. And this particular day, it seemed like they were all dates. At each table there seemed to be a guy and a girl. Sometimes two and two, with people who were double-dating. But everyone had their own person, everyone was a couple.

"Hi, Gordo."

I didn't recognize the voice, so I was sure this was Kelsey. I turned my head and saw a pretty brunette with highlighted hair.

"Are you Kelsey?" I asked.

She nodded. "You're early."

"So are you."

She smiled and sat down. "I'm glad you came. I wasn't sure if you would, though. I was starting to wonder if I scared you away."

_You almost did with that poem,_ I thought. But instead, I said "Nah. I'm really hard to scare away. You've met my friends."

Kelsey laughed. "You're funny, too. Did you order anything?"

"Only a smoothie."

"Oh."

"So…" I tried to think of something to say that might bring up a conversation. "Are you into sports?"

"Not really. I'm in volleyball, but I'm not very good. I'm mostly just in it to keep in shape."

"I think you look fine."

"Thanks."

There was a bit more silence and I was already sure that this relationship wouldn't work out. We couldn't even keep a conversation going for more than 15 seconds!

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" I asked.

"I have an older brother. He's in college. What about you?"

"No, I'm an only child."

"I wish I were. I hate older siblings."

I shook my head. "It's not that great. Sometimes I really wish I had a brother to talk to."

"If you want, you can borrow mine."

I smiled. "Thanks, I'll remember that."

Then our waitress came back with my drink. "Do you want anything?" she asked Kelsey.

"I'll have a Coke."

"And get us a large fry," I added. She wrote them down and left.

"What kind of music do you like?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I like a little bit of everything. I guess if I had to choose I'd say jazz, but-"

"I love swing."

"Really?"

She smiled and nodded. "Benny Goodman is my idol."

"I didn't think many people liked him anymore. Teens don't like dead people, they like Destiny's Child."

Kelsey made a face. "I hate them."

"Really? I'm impressed."

She laughed. "I really like Out of Eden, Stacie Orrico, Jaci Velasquez, you know."

OK, I know I don't know everything that's in Teen People, but I was almost positive that those weren't real singers. Were they? "No I don't. I've never heard of any of them."

"Oh, I guess I should have expected that. Most of the people I like aren't very famous. They're Christian artists."

"Oh."

"You're Jewish, aren't you?"

"Yep."

"That's nice. I don't want to go out with someone that doesn't have a religion. I know that this isn't true for everyone, but it seems to me like anyone that doesn't have a religion doesn't have many morals, either."

Her saying the words "go out" scared me. Was she implying that we were now going out? Or was she just stating a fact?

I nodded. "I guess. But my two closest friends don't have religions, and they're good people."

"I'll bet they are, but I mean people in general. For me, it's hard to find a decent guy."

I shrugged. "Yeah, most guys can get pretty sick."

"You have no idea."

"Yes I do. I'm one of them, remember."

"I don't know how you managed to turn out like such a gentleman with all these creeps prowling around the world."

"I have good parents, and I surround myself with good people."

"You make it sound so easy."

"You make it sound hard," I replied.

"It is, though. I went to a private school, a _Christian private school,_ and trust me, if you've seen all those sick notes I've seen, and if you've heard all the sick things I've heard, you wouldn't be able to think straight. It's like the world's biggest polluting center for the mind. And it was a Christian school."

I was starting to really like Kelsey now. She seemed like a good person, she was pretty enough, and she laughed at stuff I said that I didn't think was funny. And I was beginning to respect her for staying firm despite this horrible school she went to. "That's too bad," I said. "When was that?"

"I just got out of that jail last year. This year is my first year here."

"How do you like it?"

"It's nice, I guess," she replied. "A little different, though."

"How?"

"Well, I've never had passing period before. Or had to walk to different classrooms and such. It's easier to stay awake here since you walk around every so often."

I laughed. "I still fall asleep, though."

She laughed with me as our waitress came back with her Coke and our fries.

"Anything else?" the waitress asked.

"Not now," I said. She walked away.

I turned the fries so that they weren't facing only me so that Kelsey would know I meant for us to share them.

"Oh, thanks," she said, grabbing one and eating it. "These are good."

"This place usually has good food," I replied. "Better than McDonald's, anyway."

"Hey! I like McDonald's!"

I smiled. "That's too bad. I was just starting to think you were OK."

She playfully slapped my arm. "You're so mean!"

"Oh, who's the one resorting to abuse?" I shot back.

Kelsey laughed. "You're a lot more fun than I thought you were going to be."

"Yeah? How'd you think I was going to be?"

"I don't know exactly. I wasn't sure. The Gordo I'm used to is a cute straight A student, but not much more."

"Gee, thanks."

She seemed to glow with happiness as she looked at me. "I'm glad I was wrong."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"So, do you want to meet up here again sometime?"

"You're asking me out again? I'm definitely impressed, now. Not many girls have the guts to do that." That was true. I was the guy, I was supposed to ask her out. But I was glad she was doing the honors, because I wasn't sure if I had enough guts to do it myself.

"I don't see guys as superior."

"I do," I replied through a teasing smile.

"You would."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. So do you want to or not? I think I have to get going soon."

"You can't leave until the fries are gone."

She laughed. "Then I'll take them with me if I have to."

"Well, maybe you want to see a movie on Friday?"

Kelsey smiled. "I'd love to."

"OK. I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Count on it."


	6. Um... chapter 6

A/N: I'm giving you 2 chapters right away since this one is so short. I really don't understand the point of this chapter anyway, it's pretty pointless. Oh, well. 

dulce de leche: Kelsey said that because she hated her old school. It wasn't really a JAIL, she just called it one because she hated it. Sorry for the confusion! =)

GORDO

The next day I walked into school practically floating on air. I was so happy. I couldn't remember the last time I was this excited. Kelsey seemed perfect somehow. She was pretty, nice, and… well, nice.

When Lizzie and Miranda saw me they rushed up to me. "How was it?" Lizzie asked. "Tell us _everything._"

"She's so cool," I said. "At first we had holes of silence every now and then and just made small-talk, but after awhile we both kind of loosened up."

"What's she like?" Miranda asked.

"Well, she likes swing and Christian music, thinks most guys are creeps, went to a bad school, and likes McDonald's. And she hit me," I added, smiling.

"She hit you?" Lizzie demanded.

I laughed. "Lightly. On the arm. We joked around and… well, it was fun."

"You honestly like her?" Lizzie asked, her eyebrows arched skeptically. "We were sure she wasn't your type."

"I honestly like her," I replied. "She's awesome."

"Now aren't you glad we shoved our noses where the don't belong?" Miranda asked smiling.

"Um… no. I wouldn't go that far."


	7. Movie Night

A/N: this takes place 1 week after the previous chapter. And just to fill you in, Gordo's been spending every waking moment with/talking to/talking about Kelsey.

MIRANDA

"We need to get together sometime," I said to my friends Lizzie and Gordo Friday after school.

"We could have a movie night again," Lizzie suggested. "Go to Blockbuster and rent a bunch of movies and stay up late eating popcorn."

"I have plans with Kelsey tonight," Gordo said. "We're going to see Spiderman at the cheep theater."

"You've already seen that," I said.

He nodded. "Twice. But she hasn't, and it was pretty good."

"How about tomorrow night, then?" Lizzie asked.

"I'm going to visit her church Sunday morning," he replied. "My parents were actually pretty happy at the idea. They said it's good for me to learn about other religions. But I have a feeling that if I convert they'll kill me."

"Next week?"

Gordo shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe."

"Are you avoiding us or what?" I asked. "We don't hang out as much anymore."

"No, I'm not avoiding you," he replied. "I have no reason to. But of course we aren't spending _as much_ time together… what, you think I'd get a girlfriend and never go on a date with her? Kelsey deserves to have some of my time, too."

__

"Some" is the key word, I thought. _But she's getting all of it._

It seemed like Gordo never talked to Lizzie and I anymore. I mean, we _did_ hang out sometimes after school, but we never really did anything. I was beginning to miss the old Gordo. It seemed like all he did was hang out with _Kelsey_ and talk to _Kelsey_. I started to regret encouraging him to ask her out.

"Well, maybe we'll get together then," Lizzie said. By her tone you'd think she was fine with the idea, but I'd talked to her about Gordo and his new girlfriend, and I knew that it really did bother her. She missed Gordo just as much as I did.

"OK, cool. I'll see you guys later." He waved as he walked away.

"Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey," I muttered. "I'd kill her if I could."

"Gordo likes her," Lizzie said. "We need to respect that."

"Does he have to worship her? Why doesn't she ever hang out with all three of us? It'd be a lot easier instead of trying to steal our friend."

"I agree that we could all do stuff together, but I also understand how he wouldn't _always_ want to hang out as a foursome. They need to have some time together, too."

"Why don't we see Spiderman with them?"

"Because… we weren't invited?"

I sighed. "You're right. But I wish he'd invite us."

Lizzie smiled. "Let's go to the Digital Bean."

"No thanks," I said. "I have to get home."

"What for?"

I shook my head. I didn't have a lie prepared, even if I did I wouldn't want to lie to Lizzie, and I was too brain-dead to make one up, anyway. "No reason, I just don't feel like going out."

"Why don't you come to my house and we can have our own movie night?" Lizzie's eyes were pleading. "Please? We'll have fun, just us girls."

I sighed. "OK, fine. Let's go to my house and ask my parents and get my stuff. We can call your parents from there and see if it's OK."

She smiled. "Great. We don't need Gordo. If he wants to hang out with his girlfriend, that's fine. We'll use it as an excuse to have some girl time."


	8. That Bad

LIZZIE

Hanging out at my house was good for Miranda. She was in a much better mood that night than she was at the end of school. I was glad.

But I couldn't pretend that Kelsey didn't bother me. She did. Whenever we talked the name Kelsey was said (usually by Gordo) at least 3 times. And something about her didn't feel right. She was nice, but almost too nice. And when Miranda and I first met her, we were sure she wasn't his type, but the day after their first date he was talking about how she was perfect for him. I caught myself wondering if she was pretending to be someone that she wasn't for him. Pretending to be someone he'd like, since he wouldn't like her being herself.

_You're just jealous of her,_ I told myself. And I was, but I didn't know exactly how. Was I jealous that she got all of his time, or jealous that she was his girlfriend?

The feelings I was having for Gordo weren't new. I'd always liked him a little more than a friend, but wasn't sure if it was enough to like him as a boyfriend. Now that he had a girlfriend, the green-eyed jealousy monster was growing.

Maybe the movie night with Miranda was good for me, too.

On Monday, all wounds were healed and Miranda and I were as good as new. Until Gordo started talking about Kelsey, that is.

"So you had fun," Miranda said as us three walked down the halls together.

"I had a great time," Gordo replied. "We're going out to eat tomorrow for supper."

I could see the wheels turning inside Miranda's head. She was thinking, _Well, invite us!_

"Digital Bean?" she asked.

"Yep."

"Lizzie and I were going to go there tomorrow, too!" she said. I inwardly sighed. This was her subtle way of asking if we could come along. "Maybe we could share a table."

"Tomorrow?" he asked.

"That's right."

"Around 5?"

"Yeah."

Gordo shook his head. "OK, I know we haven't been hanging out a whole lot, but I really don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not? As your friends, we need to get acquainted with her. Right, Lizzie?"

"Right," I said half-heartedly. It was obvious that Miranda was desperate to spend time with our friend.

"I thought you had a dentist appointment then," Gordo said. "But you can come if you want, I guess."

"Dentist? How'd you know about that?" Miranda asked suspiciously.

"You were complaining about it on Friday."

"Oh, so you _do_ actually listen."

Gordo seemed to get a little angry at her comment. "Of course I listen! What was that supposed to mean?"

Miranda's tone was defensive. "Well, all you ever do is think about _her._ I was starting to wonder if we were even friends anymore."

"I have every right to hang out with my girlfriend."

"Yeah. _Sometimes._ But every time we ask you to do something with us you have plans with her!"

"That's not true!"

"OK, what was the last thing we did together?"

Gordo paused. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

"No! Answer it!"

"OK…" He paused, making Miranda even more mad.

"You can't even remember it!"

"Yes I can. It was shopping. I didn't want to go, but you and Lizzie dragged me along. You made me get a shirt from Abercrombie."

"It looked really good on you," I put in.

"Gordo, that was over 2 weeks ago! Ugh!" Miranda stomped off.

Gordo turned to me. "Am I that bad?"

_Yes, _I thought. _You're worse than that, actually._ But I could tell that Miranda's words got to him and that he was sorry, so I didn't want to make him feel worse.

"Well… kind of. But she's overreacting," I replied.

"Then how bad am I?" His face was totally serious.

"I don't know… we just miss you. Can you move your date to tonight and let us come along? Miranda would really appreciate it, and I would, too."

"She can't tonight, but we can move it to Wednesday if you want."

"And…" I hesitated. "It seems like you made the date on Tuesday because you knew she had the appointment. Just the way you said it…"

"Should I talk to her, or will she get more mad?"

"I will," I replied. "Wednesday?"

He nodded. "I'll see you then."

_You'd better see us sooner if you want to live,_ I thought.


	9. Alone and Forlorn

GORDO

I walked into the gym after school. I had to tell Kelsey about the date change. Lucky for me, volleyball practice was just ending.

The team was gathered together sitting on the floor getting a talk from their coach. He finished talking and they all stood, and the minute Kelsey saw me she ran up to me.

"Gordo!" she said smiling. "Hi!"

"Hi, Kelsey," I replied. "How was practice?"

"It was OK. I'm glad you're here. Wanna go out and get something to eat?"

I was just about to say yes when I decided it may not be best. I'd been hanging out with her a lot, and a break wouldn't be a bad thing. Besides… I had to study. I was barely holding on to my A average.

"I have to get home," I replied. "Sorry."

"That's OK. That's not such a bad idea, anyway. I don't think my parents would mind seeing me every now and then."

I smiled. "But, uh… is it OK if we change the date to Wednesday?"

"Sure. Why, what's up?"

"Well, I was thinking of meeting Lizzie and Miranda there if that's all right with you."

Kelsey didn't look thrilled, but her smile was still there. "Oh – sure."

"Great. I'll see you then."

"OK!" Kelsey gave me a peck on the cheek and went to the locker room.

I blinked. That was the first kiss that was ever exchanged. It felt good. _Well, Gordo my man,_ I thought. _It looks like you have an official girlfriend._ I smiled as I left.

~*~

Wednesday after school I walked out with Lizzie and Miranda. I figured I owed them some of my time before we ate, so I'd told them we could study together at my house until it was time to go. Miranda seemed surprised, but happy. I was glad that she accepted right away. It looked like she was willing to forgive me for blowing her off.

Studying went well. We got stuff done, yet had time to joke around and be friends again.

"What time do we have to leave?" Lizzie asked.

"Um… maybe now," I answered, looking at my watch. It was 4:50. It would take us about 5, 10 minutes to walk there.

"OK."

We got up and Miranda and Lizzie put their books in their bags and we headed out the door. I was excited to see Kelsey again, but I didn't dare mention her. I'd worked hard trying to get Miranda to forgive me, and I wasn't about to blow it.

Fortunately, I didn't have to mention her. Miranda did that much, which surprised me. "Was Kelsey OK with the switch?"

"Yeah," I replied. "She was fine. And I told her that we'd be eating with you and Lizzie and she didn't mind that either."

"Thanks, Gordo. I'm sorry I blew up before."

"That's OK. You had a right to."

We walked the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn't awkward silence. It was comfortable. Everything seemed perfect. I had a nice girlfriend, my friends back, and had a fun, productive time. Nothing could ever be better.

Well, until I found out about Kelsey.

We got there at 5 on the dot. She wasn't there, but I didn't mind. "I guess she's running a little late," I said.

We sat down and talked for a little while. We ordered, and at 5:15 she still wasn't there.

"She'll be here," Lizzie told me. She knew that I thought something was wrong. "She probably just forgot the time. Maybe she thinks it's 5:30."

"Yeah," I said. But I didn't agree. Somehow, I knew she wasn't coming.

At 5:45 Miranda was ready to leave.

"I hate to say this, Gordo, but I don't think she's coming," she said. "Let's go."

"Wait till 6," I replied, still hoping that she just got the time wrong or something.

"Gordo! I'm not going to wait till she's an hour late. If she's _that_ late, she doesn't deserve you, anyway."

"Please," I begged. "Fifteen more minutes."

By 6:30 Miranda had left, and Lizzie was sitting with me. Both of us were bored out of our minds.

"Gordo, she isn't coming."

I sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure? We've been sitting here since the beginning of time."

"Are you going to leave like Miranda?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Now she sighed. "I don't want to leave you here alone, but I don't want to sit here till midnight, either. Come with me, we can hang out."

"I'm staying here until at least 7," I replied.

"You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head.

"Well… are you sure you told her Wednesday?"

"Yep."

"Clearly?"

"Yep."

"Well, I hope she comes yet tonight. But I can't stay anymore. This is driving me insane. Sorry." She got up and left.

I stared at the glass in front of me, feeling low. I was really starting to like Kelsey. A lot. Heck, I was ready to kiss her myself. But… she wasn't here.

"So this is what being stood up feels like," I muttered. Then I groaned. "Great. Now I'm talking to myself."

I stayed at that table until 8. Finally I left. Part of me still hoped that maybe she didn't understand that it was changed somehow, or maybe got the time wrong and was waiting for me at 4 or something, but deep down I knew she'd meant not to be there. Now I had no girlfriend, and it sure felt like I had no friends. They didn't wait for me.

But then, could I blame them? I was amazed that Lizzie waited with me as long as she even did in the first place. Still, I felt awfully lonely.


	10. Confrontation

LIZZIE

I walked up to Kelsey the next day before school started. "I was at the Digital Bean last night," I said. "And you weren't."

"Don't talk to me," she said. Kelsey began to talk away.

I grabbed her arm. "Don't walk away from me when I _am_ talking to you. Why weren't you there?"

"I didn't want to be. Do you have a problem with that?"

"I do when I'm waiting for you for an hour and a half!"

"Excuse me, but this is between me and Gordo. Go stick your pretty blond head somewhere else."

"I won't," I replied, angry now. "Because Gordo's my friend and I waited with him and you weren't there."

"What do you want from me?" she demanded.

"An apology!"

"Well you won't get it. You think I wasn't there on accident?"

I was so angry I wanted to slap her. She stood him up on purpose!

"You weren't worth the time," I said.

"Then why did you wait?" she asked smugly.

"Because friends are there for each other when they need it. I wouldn't expect a creature like you to understand that, though."

"Kelsey?"

I turned. Behind me stood Gordo.

"If this is a freak meeting, I really don't want to interrupt," she said harshly. Kelsey shook free of my grip and stomped away.

I turned and looked at Gordo. I felt so bad for him, he must have been crushed. He really liked Kelsey, and she turned out to be a monster.

"Gordo…"

He shook his head. "The whole thing was stupid. I never should have gotten so wrapped up in it. I never should have started dating her in the first place."

"Are you going to be OK?" I asked.

He smiled weakly. I could tell it was forced. "As long as I have friends like you I will. You didn't have to talk to her."

"How much did you hear?"

"I walked in where she asked you why you waited, and you told her that friends do that for friends. You didn't like her, but you waited with me and I appreciate it."

"Kelsey's a jerk. Forget about her."

"Well, now you tell me. I should have been able to tell, though. She sucked up to me an awful lot. She was trying too hard."

I hugged him. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"That's OK."

~*~

After school I wanted to confront her again. I wasn't satisfied with our previous meeting, and I really wanted to know why she dumped Gordo.

I saw her at her locker right after school and walked up to her. "Just tell me why," I said.

"Why what?" she asked.

"You know what. Don't play dumb with me. Why you stood him up. If you wanted to dump him, fine, but don't get guys' hopes up like that."

Kelsey chuckled. "Are you kidding me? That was the point. It isn't clear to you yet? This was all planned. All of it, from the first letter."

I felt like she'd just punched me in the stomach. This was all a big plot? _Poor Gordo,_ I thought. _He's going to be crushed._

"What kind of monster would think of something like that?"

She smiled. "My new friend Kate. She wanted one thing from me before I was welcomed into her circle of pretty, popular friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

I glared after her. Kate. Behind every bad story there's the same name: Kate Sanders.

I went back to Gordo's locker where he was talking with Miranda. "Kate thought of it," I said. They both turned to look at me.

"What?" Miranda asked.

"The whole thing was Kate's idea. She was always planning to dump you, Gordo. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "In teenage relationships, every single one is guaranteed to come to an end. We aren't going to meet the person we marry until our 20s, most likely. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later."

"Are you sure you're going to be fine?" Miranda asked.

He nodded. "Like I told Lizzie, I'll be fine while I have friends like you guys."


End file.
